


Hold Onto Me

by bklue18



Category: Gotham (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:35:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6691699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bklue18/pseuds/bklue18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armed with a mystery about her family that she has to solve, she returns to Gotham from Central City. But would seeking the truth change her and challenge her to risk everything in her life? </p><p>Or would someone come along to keep her grounded?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Gotham

"Barry, I'm going to be fine."

She looked at her best friend. "Seriously. It's just like I'm going home."

"But, Ry, you lived here in Central City for most of your life." Barry said. "You can't just leave us."

"I know..." She said. "But it's something I have to do."

Barry sighed. "Oh-alright."

She smiled and gave her friend a hug. "You take care of yourself, Barry Allen. No running around looking for trouble."

He grinned. "I'll try."

She smiled and started walking towards the entrance of Central City International Airport when Barry called out to her.

"HEY!"

She turned around.

"Be careful, Ryley Lee."

"I will."

"And if you need me..."

She smiled. "I know what to do."

They waved at each other before Ryley stopped to turn back around. She walked straight towards the check-in counter and placed her passport on the counter.

"Where to, Miss?"

Ryley took a breath.

"Gotham City."

* * *

She looked at the address in her notebook. ' **1007 Mountain Drive** ' stared back at her in inky black.

She was standing in the middle of the city but there wasn't an inkling of the address in sight.

Ryley gulped. This wasn't what she had in mind.

When she had decided to come to Gotham, she had done her fair share of research on the City. But nothing could have prepared her for this. She had expected to be greeted by the Gotham she had known when she was younger but what she sees before her now was a very different place.

She had thought of asking a passerby for help but judging by how shifty they looked, she didn't dare. She looked around her until she spotted a small beacon of hope. She walked towards the building and upon a closer look, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

The words 'GCPD' provided a sense of comfort and she hurriedly made her way in. As soon as she stepped in, she was hit by a completely different sight. If she thought Central City Police Department could do with some cheery lighting, the Gotham City Police Department would need a lot more of that.

"Can I help you?"

She pushed her glasses up as she came face to face with a slightly disgruntled looking police officer.

"H-Hi." Ryley said. "I-uh-I need some help with directions?"

He frowned. "What do we look like? The freakin' information center?"

"Uh-No, I just-I-"

"Hey! Lebowski! Cool it!"

Ryley looked at where the voice had been projected from and watched as a man in a suit walk up towards her. Judging from her experiences, this must be a detective.

He looked at Lebowski. "I'll handle this."

Lebowski gave a grunt and walked away just as he looked at her.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. I was just looking for 1007 Mountain Drive?" Ryley said.

He frowned at her. "What's that address to you?"

"I'm a family friend."

"A family friend?" He said skeptically. "What's your name?"

"Ryley Lee." She replied.

He looked at her luggage. "You from out of town?"

"Yeah, Central City." She said.

He narrowed his eyes at her, as if trying to read her. As if finally deciding what to do, he spoke.

"Alright." He said. "Follow me. I'll take you there."

Ryley smiled gratefully, "Thank you."

* * *

The drive up to the address Ryley had provided was not that long. Upon seeing the familiar greenery as they drove up towards the majestic looking manor, Ryley felt a sense of relief.

They stopped right in front of the doors and they both got out of the car. The detective used the knocker on the door and within a minute, someone came to open the door.

"Detective Gordon." He said. "I don't believe we were expecting you?"

He shook his head. "No. But there was someone who had your address, and was looking for a way to get here."

"Really? And who might that be?"

Ryley peeked from behind the detective. "Hi Alfred."

The butler blinked once, then twice with a blank expression. Both Detective Gordon and Ryley looked at him, unsure of what to expect.

In almost an instant, Alfred pushed Detective Gordon aside and embraced Ryley in a fatherly hug.

He let her go, hastily dabbing his eyes. "Miss Ryley. It's so good to see you."

She smiled. "You too, Alfred."

He smiled back. "Come in, come in. I'll get Master Bruce."

As Alfred went to get his Master, Ryley turned to the detective. "Thanks for bringing me here. Even though you thought I may have been an assassin or something."

Detective Gordon straightened his tie. "It's my duty to be vigilant.. And after what Bruce went through.. I felt like I owe it to him to keep him safe."

"What did he go through?" Ryley asked. "He's got Alfred and his parents for that."

Detective Gordon was about to speak when a voice called out from behind Ryley.

"My parents were murdered."

Ryley turned around to see Bruce walking towards them with Alfred behind him.

The words ringed in her ear as she tried to register what Bruce just said.

"Wait. What?"

Bruce looked at Ryley before looking at Detective Gordon. "Thank you for bringing her here, Detective Gordon. If you'll wait in the car? We won't be long."

Alfred looked at Bruce. "Master Bruce.. Are we not inviting Ryley to stay for dinner?"

Bruce looked at Ryley. "No."

She stepped back, startled by the way the 12-year old was behaving. She had known him since he was born. They'd been really close until her parents decided to move away. But even with the distance between them, their sibling-like bond couldn't be broken.

"Brucey." Ryley said.  
"Don't call me that." Bruce said.

Ryley winced a little. She was hoping for a little excitement but this was the total opposite.

"Master Bruce."

Alfred tried to help but without another word, Bruce walked back to the study. The three adults looked at each other for a second before Ryley stood upright.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Ryley said.  
"You sure that's a good idea? He doesn't seem to keen on talking to you." Detective Gordon said.

She looked at him. "I've known him my whole life. I won't give up on that."

Alfred smiled a little as he moved to take her luggage from her.

"Thank you Detective Gordon." Ryley said.  
"It's Jim." He said.  
"Well, thank you, Jim." She said.  
"Will you need a lift back to the city?" Jim asked.

Alfred stopped Ryley from replying. "I can take her."

Jim nodded. "Alright then. Thank you Alfred."

He walked towards the door. "See you around, Miss Ryley."

She nodded as Jim left the house with Alfred closing the door behind him.

Ryley took in a deep breath. "Alright. Here I go."

* * *

She knocked on the opened door as she stepped into the study.

"Bruce?"

He looked up from the files he had on his lap.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked.

She walked in and crossed her arms. "Did you think I was going to just leave because of what you said out there? You know me better than that."

She sat down on the edge of the couch. "Bruce.. I'm sorry that I wasn't here."

Bruce could feel the tears coming to his eyes but he willed himself not to cry. "Did you know I saw them die before my eyes?"

Ryley felt her heart get heavy. How did she not know about the Wayne murders? Sure. She lived in Central City but news this big had to get there. She would have dropped everything to visit Bruce in a heartbeat.

"Bruce.. I-I had no idea this happened." Ryley said. "Why didn't Alfred call?"

"Because I told him not to." Bruce said. "I believed that you would have come as soon as you heard but you didn't. So a week after their funeral, I told Alfred not to bother."

She moved closer to Bruce. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I really didn't know. I should have called and-"

He looked at her and seeing the amount of regret in her eyes was enough to make him break down. He immediately hugged her and though she was surprised, she slowly tightened her arms around him.

"I'm really sorry for not being here for you, Bruce." She said. "But I promise. I'm here now and we'll get through together."

He broke the hug and cleaned away his tears with his sleeve. "You're staying in Gotham?"

She smiled. "Yup. I'm sticking around for a while, Brucey."

"You can stay here then!" Bruce exclaimed.  
"Oh really? I thought I remembered someone telling me that they wouldn't even want me to stay for dinner." Ryley said.

Bruce smiled sheepishly. "You know I didn't mean that."

She messed his neat hair. "I know. I'll take you up on your offer then."

Bruce smiled as he yelled. "Alfred! Ryley's staying with us!"

Alfred appeared not long after. "Yes, Master Bruce. I already took the liberty of preparing a room."

Ryley smiled. "Thanks Alfred."

"Master Bruce, I believe dinner can be served now?" He asked.  
"Yes. Thank you Alfred." Bruce replied.

Alfred nodded and disappeared to the dining room just as Bruce stood up, pulling Ryley along with him. As she let Bruce lead the way, she caught a glimpse of the big board behind the desk that held many photos and handwritten notes.

She squinted, recognizing a couple of names that stood out. Turning back to follow Bruce, she started to wonder what that was. Come to think of it, when she entered the room, Bruce had been looking through some GCPD files.

Not wanting to let her curiosity take flight yet, she pushed it to the back of her mind as she entered the dining room, taking her seat next to Bruce.


	2. The Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armed with a mystery about her family that she has to solve, she returns to Gotham from Central City. But would seeking the truth change her and challenge her to risk everything in her life?
> 
> Or would someone come along to keep her grounded?

Ryley sat on her bed, looking down at the folder that bore the words 'CENTRAL CITY P.D' on the cover. She remembered the time she first laid eyes on the folder. It had been a closed case so the Chief didn't mind letting her have a copy of the file.

Flipping the cover open, she sees the photos of a car wreckage on the side of the road. Holding the photo in her fingertips, memories of her responding to the call and arriving on the scene came flooding back to her.

* * *

"Yikes." Ryley said. "What do we have here?"

Her colleagues, Barry and Joe, froze and looked at each other in what she could see as panic.

"Guys." She continued. "What's wrong? Barry, did you play a prank on me again?"

"Ry.." Barry said, walking up to her. "You shouldn't be here. We've got this covered."

Ryley looked at him. "It's a pretty bad one. You need all hands on deck."

"Barry is right, Ryley." Joe said. "We've got it covered here. The other forensic team is on their way."

She frowned. "Guys, what's going on?"

* * *

Ryley willed herself to not replay the memory any further.

She swallowed, to get rid of the dry feeling in her throat and placed the photo back into the folder.

"What do you have there, Miss Ryley?"

She looked up to see Alfred standing by the entrance.

Ryley hurriedly closed the folder. "Nothing."

Alfred gave her a look before walking over to her and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I know you just as well as I know Master Bruce." Alfred said. "That is not nothing."

He gave her an expression, daring her to protest as he pulled the folder close to him. He picked it up to look at the cover.

"Central City P.D?" He said. "Miss Ryley, did you steal this file?"

"What?" She said. "I-no, Alfred, I didn't steal this file."

"So where did this come from?" Alfred asked.  
"The Chief gave me a copy after they closed the case." Ryley replied.

Alfred felt stupid. "Oh-of course. I'm so sorry, Miss Ryley, I had forgotten you worked at the Central City Police Department."

"It's fine, Alfred." She replied.  
"You had always enjoyed discovering clues." Alfred said.

He smiled as a memory surfaced. "Remember the time you and Master Bruce became Sherlock and Doctor Watson?"

Ryley chuckled. "Yes. Brucey was horrible as Sherlock."

"The two of you were always off running to look for the clues your parents hid." He said.

Ryley's smile slowly disappeared as she nodded. "Y-Yeah."

Sensing the change in her voice and demeanor, Alfred looked intently at her. "Is there something you'd like to share with me, Miss Ryley?"

He pushed the folder back to her. "Perhaps it's something to do with this?"

Ryley gulped and took in a breath as she opened the folder to pick up the photo of the wreckage.

She passed it to Alfred. "This was my parents' car."

Alfred nearly dropped the photo in shock. The Lees were the Waynes' dearest friends and he had had the privilege of being in their company. They, like the Waynes, had always treated Alfred like he was part of the family, never the staff. That is why he had always treated Ryley and Bruce like they were his own children.

"How did-When did this happen?" Alfred asked.  
"The time frame fits shortly before Uncle Thomas and Aunt Martha were murdered." Ryley replied.

Alfred put the photo back into the folder. "I'm so sorry, Miss Ryley."

"What was the cause of the accident?" Alfred asked.

"The official conclusion was a misjudgment on the driver's part that resulted in the accident." Ryley replied. "The detectives ruled that my father must have swerved off the road to avoid hitting a deer because he might have been feeling tired at the wheel."

"But you disagree." Alfred said.

"Of course I disagree." She replied. "Would a sleepy driver crash like this? The impact alone wouldn't have left the car this damaged."

Alfred looked at the photo again, wondering if he could explain the official theory but he couldn't.

The car had been badly damaged by what must have been a fiery blaze. If the detectives believed their theory to be correct, the car shouldn't have caught on fire. He had known Mr Lee to be a careful driver. He surely wouldn't have been speeding if he was tired. And, even if they did swerve to avoid contact with the deer, the crash shouldn't have been fatal.

"Did you manage to study the scene?" Alfred asked.

"Only after the case was closed." Ryley said. "But everything had been swiped clean."

Alfred frowned. "How is it that a police department can't do their job right?"

"Apparently they had someone higher up tell them to close the case quick as it concerned prolific figures of the community. My Chief fought to have them study the case properly but he was overruled." She said.

"They also did it out of respect and concern for one of their own." Ryley added, with air quotation marks.

"So it's foul play then." Alfred said.

"Until I can find evidence that proves otherwise..." Ryley said. "Yes, it's foul play."

"Is that why you've come back to Gotham?" He asked.

Ryley nodded. "Yes. My parents had tickets to come back to Gotham. So whatever happened to them in Central City must have originated from here."

Alfred looked at her. "Finding the truth is dangerous especially in Gotham."

"I know, Alfred." Ryley said. "That's why I'm doing it from the inside as the new Forensic Investigator of Gotham P.D."


End file.
